Guardian Cryptic Crossword Analysis
This page renders some charts from data gathered via the Guardian newspaper's
cryptic crosswords. The data shown here was scraped via the web.
The git repository containing this data is here.
Last Updated:
Sat Oct 13 18:21:46 2018
1. Total number of crosswords, set by author
This chart shows the number of crosswords set per setter. No real surprises here as to the most prolific setters.
Change chart type:
2. Crosswords per year, per setter
This chart shows an area span for the number of crosswords set per setter, per year. Interesting to see when a setter started and stopped.
Change chart type:
3. Frequency of word duplications across all crosswords, per setter
This chart shows the number of words a given setter has used more than once, across all crosswords for that setter.
Change chart type:
4. Setter Biographies
This shows information about each setter
Arachne
- First crossword: 2006-06-28
- Last crossword: 2018-09-26
- Active for: 12 years, 02 months, 28 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Arachne in the clue): 21
Araucaria
- First crossword: 1999-06-30
- Last crossword: 2014-11-26
- Active for: 15 years, 04 months, 26 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Araucaria in the clue): 17
Atë
- First crossword: 2015-04-01
- Last crossword: 2015-04-01
- Active for: 0 years, 00 months, 0 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Atë in the clue): 0
Audreus
- First crossword: 1999-10-01
- Last crossword: 2013-01-09
- Active for: 13 years, 03 months, 8 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Audreus in the clue): 0
Auster
- First crossword: 2000-05-30
- Last crossword: 2010-12-22
- Active for: 10 years, 06 months, 23 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Auster in the clue): 0
Biggles
- First crossword: 2001-01-01
- Last crossword: 2001-01-01
- Active for: 0 years, 00 months, 0 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Biggles in the clue): 0
Boatman
- First crossword: 2008-10-01
- Last crossword: 2018-09-06
- Active for: 9 years, 11 months, 5 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Boatman in the clue): 102
Bogus
- First crossword: 2017-10-06
- Last crossword: 2017-10-06
- Active for: 0 years, 00 months, 0 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Bogus in the clue): 1
Bonxie
- First crossword: 2009-05-01
- Last crossword: 2017-06-23
- Active for: 8 years, 01 months, 22 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Bonxie in the clue): 1
Brendan
- First crossword: 2006-05-11
- Last crossword: 2018-03-26
- Active for: 11 years, 10 months, 15 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Brendan in the clue): 3
Brummie
- First crossword: 2003-07-04
- Last crossword: 2018-10-02
- Active for: 15 years, 02 months, 29 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Brummie in the clue): 18
Bunthorne
- First crossword: 1999-08-10
- Last crossword: 2006-10-27
- Active for: 7 years, 02 months, 17 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Bunthorne in the clue): 6
Chaucer
- First crossword: 2003-02-27
- Last crossword: 2003-02-27
- Active for: 0 years, 00 months, 0 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Chaucer in the clue): 0
Chifonie
- First crossword: 1999-07-22
- Last crossword: 2018-10-03
- Active for: 19 years, 02 months, 12 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Chifonie in the clue): 0
Crispa
- First crossword: 1999-07-05
- Last crossword: 2004-12-06
- Active for: 5 years, 05 months, 1 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Crispa in the clue): 0
Crucible
- First crossword: 2009-09-09
- Last crossword: 2018-10-10
- Active for: 9 years, 01 months, 1 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Crucible in the clue): 1
Egoist
- First crossword: 2000-07-18
- Last crossword: 2003-07-18
- Active for: 3 years, 00 months, 0 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Egoist in the clue): 0
Enigmatist
- First crossword: 1999-08-26
- Last crossword: 2017-10-13
- Active for: 18 years, 01 months, 18 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Enigmatist in the clue): 7
Enigmatist and Paul
- First crossword: 2009-08-19
- Last crossword: 2009-08-19
- Active for: 0 years, 00 months, 0 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Enigmatist and Paul in the clue): 0
Enigmatist, Paul and Shed
- First crossword: 2011-02-16
- Last crossword: 2011-02-16
- Active for: 0 years, 00 months, 0 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Enigmatist, Paul and Shed in the clue): 0
Fawley
- First crossword: 1999-06-25
- Last crossword: 2000-09-11
- Active for: 1 years, 02 months, 16 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Fawley in the clue): 1
Fidelio
- First crossword: 2001-02-06
- Last crossword: 2003-04-23
- Active for: 2 years, 02 months, 17 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Fidelio in the clue): 0
Fiore
- First crossword: 2009-10-13
- Last crossword: 2009-10-13
- Active for: 0 years, 00 months, 0 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Fiore in the clue): 0
Gemini
- First crossword: 1999-08-04
- Last crossword: 2005-01-19
- Active for: 5 years, 05 months, 15 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Gemini in the clue): 1
Gordius
- First crossword: 1999-07-15
- Last crossword: 2014-04-17
- Active for: 14 years, 09 months, 2 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Gordius in the clue): 15
Hendra
- First crossword: 1999-10-29
- Last crossword: 2002-01-18
- Active for: 2 years, 02 months, 20 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Hendra in the clue): 0
Imogen
- First crossword: 2014-03-06
- Last crossword: 2018-09-19
- Active for: 4 years, 06 months, 13 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Imogen in the clue): 4
Janus
- First crossword: 1999-06-29
- Last crossword: 2006-10-30
- Active for: 7 years, 04 months, 1 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Janus in the clue): 0
Logodaedalus
- First crossword: 1999-07-06
- Last crossword: 2014-09-17
- Active for: 15 years, 02 months, 11 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Logodaedalus in the clue): 0
Maskarade
- First crossword: 2016-03-09
- Last crossword: 2018-02-23
- Active for: 1 years, 11 months, 14 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Maskarade in the clue): 0
Mercury
- First crossword: 1999-07-28
- Last crossword: 2002-07-26
- Active for: 2 years, 11 months, 29 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Mercury in the clue): 1
Nutmeg
- First crossword: 2013-09-20
- Last crossword: 2018-10-11
- Active for: 5 years, 00 months, 21 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Nutmeg in the clue): 12
Nutmeh
- First crossword: 2016-06-13
- Last crossword: 2016-06-13
- Active for: 0 years, 00 months, 0 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Nutmeh in the clue): 0
Omnibus
- First crossword: 2005-08-29
- Last crossword: 2005-08-29
- Active for: 0 years, 00 months, 0 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Omnibus in the clue): 0
Orlando
- First crossword: 1999-09-14
- Last crossword: 2018-04-23
- Active for: 18 years, 07 months, 9 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Orlando in the clue): 21
Otterden
- First crossword: 2013-10-25
- Last crossword: 2016-04-07
- Active for: 2 years, 05 months, 13 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Otterden in the clue): 1
Pan
- First crossword: 2016-07-27
- Last crossword: 2018-10-01
- Active for: 2 years, 02 months, 5 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Pan in the clue): 1
Pasquale
- First crossword: 1999-07-02
- Last crossword: 2018-09-13
- Active for: 19 years, 02 months, 11 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Pasquale in the clue): 16
Paul
- First crossword: 1999-07-16
- Last crossword: 2018-10-05
- Active for: 19 years, 02 months, 20 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Paul in the clue): 57
Philistine
- First crossword: 2011-05-26
- Last crossword: 2018-09-27
- Active for: 7 years, 04 months, 1 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Philistine in the clue): 5
Picaroon
- First crossword: 2012-03-16
- Last crossword: 2018-10-09
- Active for: 6 years, 06 months, 24 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Picaroon in the clue): 5
Plodge
- First crossword: 1999-07-09
- Last crossword: 2002-10-01
- Active for: 3 years, 02 months, 23 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Plodge in the clue): 0
Puck
- First crossword: 2006-12-08
- Last crossword: 2018-10-12
- Active for: 11 years, 10 months, 4 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Puck in the clue): 13
Qaos
- First crossword: 2012-01-12
- Last crossword: 2018-10-04
- Active for: 6 years, 08 months, 23 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Qaos in the clue): 3
Quantum
- First crossword: 1999-07-21
- Last crossword: 2011-02-15
- Active for: 11 years, 06 months, 25 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Quantum in the clue): 0
Rover
- First crossword: 1999-06-24
- Last crossword: 2011-01-20
- Active for: 11 years, 06 months, 26 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Rover in the clue): 4
Rufus
- First crossword: 1999-06-28
- Last crossword: 2017-12-18
- Active for: 18 years, 05 months, 20 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Rufus in the clue): 0
Screw
- First crossword: 2015-03-03
- Last crossword: 2018-04-10
- Active for: 3 years, 01 months, 7 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Screw in the clue): 4
Shed
- First crossword: 1999-07-13
- Last crossword: 2018-03-08
- Active for: 18 years, 07 months, 26 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Shed in the clue): 16
Sphinx
- First crossword: 2017-02-28
- Last crossword: 2017-02-28
- Active for: 0 years, 00 months, 0 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Sphinx in the clue): 0
Taupi
- First crossword: 1999-07-07
- Last crossword: 2009-07-14
- Active for: 10 years, 00 months, 7 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Taupi in the clue): 0
Tramp
- First crossword: 2011-04-28
- Last crossword: 2018-09-28
- Active for: 7 years, 05 months, 0 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Tramp in the clue): 10
Unknown
- First crossword: 1999-07-12
- Last crossword: 2013-11-29
- Active for: 14 years, 04 months, 17 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Unknown in the clue): 0
Vlad
- First crossword: 2015-03-11
- Last crossword: 2018-09-12
- Active for: 3 years, 06 months, 1 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Vlad in the clue): 3
Vulcan
- First crossword: 2018-02-26
- Last crossword: 2018-10-08
- Active for: 0 years, 07 months, 10 days
- Number of clues self-referenced (with Vulcan in the clue): 0
5. Number of duplicate answers and their questions
This table shows the number of times a given clue has been used and the different questions which have been used to make up that clue.